Departments
New predator shows its teeth
Fuxianhuiid – it may not be simple to say but these ancient arthropods have always seemed like pretty simple animals in all other respects. However, things aren’t always what they seem and the discovery of a new type of fuxianhuiid has provided a valuable insight into how predators evolved. A team of scientists including Dr […]
Jurassic Park meets Arachnophobia
It’s the ultimate 90s movie mash-up – Arachnophobia meets Jurassic Park. And it’s happened in real life, right here at the University of Manchester. Imprisoned within a block of amber dating back to the Cretaceous period, a spider has been discovered that could provide an unparalleled insight into the evolution of everyone’s favourite creepy-crawly. And […]
Who’s the daddy? Mystery of the mummy brothers unravelled
Who can resist an episode of The Jeremy Kyle Show when it’s a DNA results special? Well, here at The University of Manchester, we’ve just wrapped up our own DNA mystery – and the result was just as shocking. As is a popular theme on the ITV chat show, the question we wanted to answer […]
Brewing up a catastro-tea
This Dry January, you’re probably putting your kettle through its paces – replacing beer with healthy green teas and energising coffees. And there’s nothing more innocent than a good old cup of tea, right? Well we hate to break it to you, but that brew may not be as guilt-free as you thought. Researchers at […]
The science behind Christmas
There’re just days to go until Christmas and we bet you’ve already mentally checked out even if you’re still keeping up the pretence of focusing on anything that’s not Yuletide-related. Not us though. Here at the Faculty of Science and Engineering, we wanted to look at the science behind some of our greatest Christmas traditions […]
Expert comment – Finding SuperNEMO and solving the mystery of the origin of matter in the universe
The Savoy region of France is best known for its fir-lined ski slopes and picturesque Alpine villages. Less known is the fact that, deep beneath some of these slopes, scientists are investigating one of the greatest mysteries in physics: the origin of matter. The Fréjus road tunnel in the region carries traffic between the French […]
The future belongs to legless robots
We’ve reached a point where it’s not a question of “if” robots will walk among us one day or even “when”. The real question we should be asking is if these robots should walk at all. Simon Watson, a lecturer in Robotic Systems at the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE), recently contributed a […]
Examining zebra dung – it’s a dirty job but somebody’s got to do it.
Ever wondered how to tell if a zebra’s sad? Well, you could ask it “why the long face”, but for a more accurate answer, you need to get hands on with its poo. Yes, you read that right. New research has shown that examining an animal’s dung provides a unique insight into its state of […]
Science in the changing room
We’re sure you know your dress size, but do you find it changes depending on the shop you visit? Chances are the answer’s ‘yes’. But why is this? And who determines clothes sizing anyway? Well dress sizing appears to be a product of the age we live in; of fast fashion, greater resource and lower […]
Ada Lovelace – the original woman of STEMM
The School of Physics is the proud holder of an Athena Swan Silver Award. This award recognises the advancement of gender equality in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) employment, research and education. Nationwide, just 20% of students studying Physics at degree level are female. At The University of Manchester, this figure is higher […]